Baseball Notes

Mark Teixeira will miss the next 8-10 weeks because of a strained tendon in his right wrist, General Manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday, leaving the New York Yankees with a gaping hole in the middle of their lineup for the first month of the season. The Yankees already had lost the power-hitting outfielder Curtis Granderson, who suffered a broken bone in his right forearm earlier in spring training and also is expected to be out all of April.

Cashman said he would first look at internal candidates to replace Teixeira at first base but would also scour other teams' camps to see if a better candidate is available. He said switching Kevin Youkilis from third base was a possibility, but that was unlikely because it is easier to find a replacement for a first baseman.

Teixeira injured the wrist swinging at balls off a tee while working out with the U.S. national team at the World Baseball Classic in Arizona on Tuesday. Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer will replace Teixeira on the U.S. team.

FIGGINS TRIES TO

REVIVE HIS CAREER

Former Angel Chone Figgins is battling to extend his career. The 12th-year veteran is a .277 career hitter with 337 stolen bases, but he has batted under .200 each of the past two seasons, and the Miami Marlins might represent his last opportunity to stay in the big leagues.

He's off to a slow start with them in spring training, going 0 for 9 in his first four games. But he's confident he can still hit, and figures his versatility makes him especially valuable to a National League team.

Until this year, he spent his entire career in the American League. “In the AL you're limited,” he said. “They don't pinch hit much, and if they do, it's usually somebody who might hit a homer.”

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